Star Wars Tweet Commemorating MLK Day Met With Backlash
Since Disney first launched their chapter in the Star Wars Mythos, the fandom of the franchise have been, at times, divisive. There have been arguments over Disney decisions, the importance of the characters we know and love, and the direction the franchise has taken since its 2015 resurrection.
The Star Wars Twitter account once again found itself battling that contention following a tweet posted to commemorate the memory and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. during the day that America had set forth to recognize his unprecedented and undeniable contribution to equality in America.
“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.” —Martin Luther King, Jr. pic.twitter.com/BHxhQvkoBU
— Star Wars (@starwars) January 18, 2021
The tweet, almost immediately, saw a response from those angry at the quotes near diametric opposition to Disney’s seeming adherence to the fandom’s cries of change.
Throughout the journey of the sequel trilogy, fans who have opposed the use of certain characters has been met with Disney’s lessening that characters presence; buckling to the demands of a very loud minority.
So erasing a POC character (Rose) and pleasing your alt-right fans was only a joke, right? 💀
— Elizabeth (@LSnnow) January 18, 2021
A number of the tweets responding point out the diminishment of Finn and Rose, played by John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran respectively. Both Boyega and Tran have encounted racist, misogynistic, and frankly hateful experiences since their contribution to the Star Wars franchise.
This you? pic.twitter.com/pUWO06HdUN
— Tom Reakes (@Tomz0rr) January 18, 2021
Tran was all but cut out of Disney’s final installment in their trilogy; Boyega had experienced a shift in focus. Once promoted as a center of the narrative, Boyega became little more than background piece of the final film. Fans started calling out the double standard.
Your actions as a company directly counteract King’s work when you sideline actors of color, hire transphobic actors, and allow fans to berate actors of color. Don’t just quote King’s words to pat yourselves on the back if you’re not going to embody them in your actions.
— Mapplebee (@mapplebee7567) January 18, 2021
Star Wars has always been the story that sees good prevail. It has always championed inclusion. It has given a voice and strength to female characters too often marginalized as imagery. It has given colored characters a sophisticated, strong, and just voice within they many worlds it explores.
Disney inherited that legacy and for a while they did it proud. However, when met with pressure from a relentless and vocal minority, they dropped the ball, and fans of the franchise are quick to point out the hypocrisy.
As King himself said, “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”